There was a great deal of consternation earlier this month when it was revealed the Pixel phones would ship with Android 7.1, but Nexus phones were going to lag behind. Today, there's a little less reason to be upset with the announcement of the Android 7.1 developer preview. It's coming later this month, but not to all the same devices we saw in the last preview.

Google says that the preview will start off supporting only the Nexus 5X, 6P, and the Pixel C. Other devices will be added to the preview as it progresses. Google calls out several features in Android 7.1 (here's the full changelog) that developers should be aware of. Here they are.

App shortcuts API — lets you surface key actions directly in the launcher and take your users deep into your app instantly. You can create up to 5 shortcuts, either statically or dynamically.

Circular app icons support — lets you provide great-looking rounded icon resources that match the look of Pixel and other launchers.

Enhanced wallpaper metadata — lets you provide metadata about your wallpapers to any picker displaying the wallpapers as a preview. You can show existing metadata such as label, description, and author, as well as a new context URL and title to link to more information.

Image keyboard support — expands the types of content that users can enter from their keyboards, letting them express themselves through custom stickers, animated gifs, and more. Apps can tell the keyboard what types of content they accept, and keyboards can deliver all of the images and other content that they offer to the user. For broad compatibility, this API will also be available in the support library.

Storage manager Intent — lets an app take the user directly to a new Settings screen to clear unused files and free up storage space on the device.

APIs to support multi-endpoint calling and new telephony configuration options.

Just like last time, you can join the beta and get an OTA to the test as soon as it's live. There will likely also be flashable images available later. If you still have a device enrolled in the beta from Android 7.0 that you don't want to use with the 7.1 preview, you should un-enroll it now. This will be a quick developer preview, unlike the first Nougat test that lasted about 6 months. Google expects to have the final build ready in early December.

Comments

Well, GIF keyboards can already do what they do and insert image links, and as long as apps support them, they may turn them into image previews. At least that's how I understand it.

But after this, with the proper API, this could be made transparent to the user, without links showing up. Maybe the keyboards could even send messages of image types directly somehow, but I doubt it, it'll probably just be urls that apps would know how to mask now.

That'd make it hard to perform a fingerprint swipe. Better uncross those fingers ;-)

Sir_Brizz

It's probably coming to AOSP but is it coming to 5X/6P is the question. Somebody here said that a Google dev said it probably wouldn't come because it required a driver update. I don't like hearing that even Google can't get access to driver updates for their own devices, if so.

MJ

Anyone remember when all Google phones eligible for a update got them basically at the same time?

Red5

Pepperidge Farms remembers.

Greyhame

Remember when they didn't even have developer preview images and things came out more as a beta release than software ready for prime time? I mean, what do you want here?

Nope... I have been using Nexus phones for a long time and never had any major issues with new Android versions but regardless that had nothing to do with my point. I am not taking about the developer preview but Nexus Phones being treated like the black sheep of the family and getting the final release of 7.1 at the end of year.

Red5

Uhh... the Nexus phones will get it about 6 weeks after the developer preview is released (same as the Pixel phones), which is a standard window time-frame for a preview. The article also states that more devices may be added to that developer preview. How exactly is that treating Nexus phones like "black sheep"?

MJ

Uhh... What? Android 7.1 is already out. #facepalm Why are a bunch of people not familiar Nexus devices replying to me?

Red5

It's out right now? Last I read the Pixel phone doesn't come out till later this month, and that's when the developer preview will drop for all other Nexus phones.

MJ

Didn't you even this article? It's in the first sentence for you...

Red5

I do not think it means what you think it means. The first sentence says it will ship, not that it's out right now... meaning, it's not available yet. Nice job reading the first sentence yourself. #irony

MJ

Holy cow! I am trying to be nice here but please stop... Yes, The Pixel phones haven't shipped yet but will in about two weeks and they will have version 7.1 of Android. Nexus phones will not get it for two months yet. What's not clear?

And in about 2 weeks, we will get 7.1 for our Nexus phones. It will be in the form of a preview but I don't see how that's really a bad thing

Sir_Brizz

It's a big change from the past. I mean, they can change things, it's just annoying for them to pull the rug from under existing Nexus users in this way.

JSo

I don't see how they pulled the rug from under Nexus users. We are getting 7.1 this month.

Sir_Brizz

The previews are a lot different from how things were before.

JSo

Yeah, they're better. It's nice getting a preview to what the official build is going to get. Before, we just had to wait a whole year until Google released a new update just to get all the new stuff. Now we have a choice to test the stuff out beforehand.

Sir_Brizz

I agree the previews are better for the major releases. But not for the minor ones.

JSo

Eh. I'm sure it's just a way for them to make sure all the bugs are out before officially updating it. That's fine with me. The Nexus phones and Pixel phones aren't running the same version so they have to test it somehow. I doubt it's going to be full of issues to begin with. At least we are getting 7.1 this month.

Sir_Brizz

Didn't work with 7.0... :(

JSo

What's wrong with 7.0?

Sir_Brizz

Battery issues on the 6P at least.

Randroid

"There was a great deal of consternation earlier this month when it was revealed the Pixel phones would ship with Android 7.1, but Nexus phones were going to lag behind." - that's the first sentence.

Pixel phones have shipped already? That's news to me (and everyone else here.) 7.1 is not out already. Anyone with a Pixel phone right now (read - Googlers and people who work at cell carriers) are using 7.1, but it's probably the same version that Nexus devices will get when they get the preview.

MJ

Damn, you repeated the same irrelevant crap a couple of other people have said already... My point has nothing to do with when Pixel phones ship.

Randroid

Direct quote - from you - "Uhh... What? Android 7.1 is already out."

If 7.1 is already out, then the Pixel phones must already be out too. So your point has everything to do with then the Pixel phones ship.

MJ

I guess if you skip my original statement... People do have Pixel phones now and it has Android 7.1 but ignore that fact.

Francois Roy

It's out only in your mind..

"At the final release of the Android 7.1.x platform, due in early December, we’ll roll out updates to the full lineup of supported devices — Nexus 6, 5X, 6P, 9, Player, Pixel C, and supported Android One devices — as well as Pixel and Pixel XL devices."

MJ

That's not relevant to what I said now is it? Android 7.1 is already on the Pixel! WTF?

sproc

Android 5.0 was a mess on the Nexus 5. MJ forgets...

Miku is Best Vocaloid

The Lollipop developer preview did not come out for the Nexus 4, even though it did get the update.

Chris Sanner

no?

Dom Apice

Anyone remember when MJ didn't have something negative to say? Wait, lol, that never happened.

MJ

Gee, I like to say something about you but is this like your first comment on AP or something?

Dom Apice

I only comment on AP when it's to say something bad about you.

fcjan

oh that's MJ? I was wondering who that was as he is blocked for me, I am sure he said nothing interesting

Itchy_Robot

I hear you, that dude is always pissed off about something.

squrel23

So I'm curious if I go through the hassle of adding the Google Assistant...will it just screw up once the dev preview gets rolled out.

"Initially, we’ll offer the Developer Preview for Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C devices, extending to other supported devices by the end of the preview. At the final release of the Android 7.1.x platform, due in early December, we’ll roll out updates to the full lineup of supported devices — Nexus 6, 5X, 6P, 9, Player, Pixel C, and supported Android One devices — as well as Pixel and Pixel XL devices."...

Greyhame

Glad Google announced this. Hopefully this will help to calm some concerns. ...I know, I know, who am I kidding...

neo905

I noticed the new Google App beta brought back screen shot by holding down the home button. They don't call it Google on Tap anymore either.

Scott Crozier

When will we be able to copy paste images. Official image keyboard support is great though.

AdamHahne

I just want the pixel color scheme(blues instead of greens) and the assistant. Is that too much to ask?!

Jonathan Precise

The assistant works with the Nexus 6P if you modify the build.prop. You need root for that though.

vyktorjonas

It's nice that they are keeping Now Launcher updated with new APIs
at least for now

LoadGamePL

Wow, final in December sounds way better than Developer Preview in December...

No, it depends on the launcher. If the launcher wants round icons, it gets them. If it doesn't, it pulls the normal ones.

Nathan Walters

It's worth noting that the round icons will also be used throughout the system, at least on Pixel (think the Recents screen or Apps list in settings).

Phoenix

If you ever developed an app for the Play store you'd know that you need to provide different icon sizes for different resolutions; maybe Google will add a way for developers to make a round icons that only show up on Pixel launcher and thus the "normal" icons won't change on other launchers and everybody is happy !

vyktorjonas

I actually meant "rounded icons aren't great looking", but yeah, that too

This comes up in every thread. No. No, no, no. This is NOT reboot. This is RESET. This is the same as pulling the plug on your desktop computer. Do NOT do this unless the phone is frozen and you have no choice. Otherwise you're going to do damage. Please don't spread this advice.

demarcmj

I think "going to do damage" is a little definite. I'd say you "run an unnecessarily increased risk of doing damage"

Perhaps on an individual, small-scale level, you're right, just as my desktop has survived many power outages without damage. But eventually it adds up. On a larger scale, it is definitely going to do damage, which is why giving the advice to others is bad, as you're increasing the odds that SOMEONE is going to get screwed by it. But the more comfortable you are doing it, and therefore the more often you do, the more likely it is that you're going to run into it.

So sure, perhaps you're just very likely to cause damage. But that's plenty.

San Diego Dave

We should listen to this guy...it looks like he knows a thing or two about reboot.

I'm an IT administrator. I live this every day as my PROFESSION. This isn't some guy told me 15 years ago and just assumed it's still relevant. There's a reason UPSs exist and a reason we constantly have to remind our users not to just power off or unplug their computers and a reason for a lot of the repair work we do on a regular basis. There's a reason computers have a shutdown function and the power buttons are tied to it or sleep and don't just power off the computer. There's a reason they make it hard, and take effort to power off like this. Unplanned power outages are killers. Seriously, what exactly do you think has changed that magically makes cutting power to a system that's in the middle of writing a vital file okay?

SHunter

We have better written software and safety blocks in today's computers. We're not on punch cards anymore pro.

You didn't address any of my points, drew a completely irrelevant comparison, and made a pretty bad point. We have automated systems to make it much harder for planes to crash now, too. Doesn't mean we let the pilots go in back for a coffee break. The reason we have better-written software (btw... we don't, really, at many levels) and safety blocks is BECAUSE this is a serious problem, so they try to reduce collateral damage. It doesn't mean it's now okay to skip all the proper shutdown methods for ALL the reasons I stated before. It's still risky, should still be avoided, and is STILL not a replacement for an ACTUAL reboot option which nearly every other OS has for good reason.

Listen, if you want to take the risk yourself and reset your phone instead of rebooting it, be my guest. Just stop giving other people bad advice.

SHunter

Autopilot.

For a phone. Pull the battery, reboot, power down whatever. It will be fine.

Pull the power on a machine running Windows 95 compared to a modern machine running Windows 10. Tell me software hasn't improved the recovery and error correction....

I agree yanking the cord is not the 1st method you want to use, but shits changed a lot since the good ole days of computing. And the OS of the past few years are dam resilient to a power failure and do a fine job on recovering back to normal.

It's improved. Doesn't mean it's safe. It's not. I fix my customers' mistakes all the time from that. Windows 10 is self-repairing. Doesn't mean the damage didn't happen, just means it can fix most of it more easily. More downtime as a result, and still potential loss of data or corruptions. The fact that it's LESS likely to destroy everything doesn't now make it a good idea. That's my point. So no, again, holding the power button on your phone IS NOT reboot. Period. Under no circumstances is that reboot. It is reset. Is it less likely to cause damage than it once was? Yes. Is it now the same as reboot? No. No, no, no. Do not tell people it's the same as a Reboot option. It's not. The end.

SHunter

I'm going to Jarrett. I'm going to tell them all. And when they ask 'where did you hear that?' I'm going to tell them this one guy Jarrett told me.

bobEveryman

Will the nexus 6 be one of the devices to be added later?

sproc

Yes.

vyktorjonas

"Initially, we’ll offer the Developer Preview for Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C devices, extending to other supported devices by the end of the preview. At the final release of the Android 7.1.x platform, due in early December, we’ll roll out updates to the full lineup of supported devices — Nexus 6, 5X, 6P, 9, Player, Pixel C, and supported Android One devices — as well as Pixel and Pixel XL devices."

So Pixel phones ship with 7.1 and we get a dev preview? Was it so difficult for google to get it workin on 5X/6P at the same time when they were working on Pixel?

JSo

Who knows? Maybe it was.

Boolean Corporation

Hiroshi Lockheimer said in an interview that Rick's team toyed with the stock Android to customize it for Pixel. So there were lots of tweaks that were based on that hardware, that need porting to our older devices.
Maybe that is what happened. Maybe they want people to go and buy the new phone and deal with it.
I wish I was living in a country where I could at least have a choice. **NOTE: In Argentina nobody can hear you scream!

Fadakar

You have a link to that interview? Somehow managed to miss it in the Pixel complaints days after the event.

Boolean Corporation

An excerpt: —Bloomberg: Could Google have done this under the Nexus program?

Lockheimer: Being a platform provider and knowing a manufacturer on the other side will take your platform customize it and commercialize it -- that’s one model and it’s worked great for us at massive scale. That is a different kind of engineering than Rick’s team. We’ll continue to develop the platform -- that’s my job. Rick’s team will take that to a level of completion, polish, thoroughness that a platform by itself in abstract won’t get. That’s a pretty big shift. The Nexus devices have been the purest form of Android in the past. Pixel is the purest form of Google, which is Android plus a whole lot of other stuff like the Assistant, our VR platform and so on.

If true, that's great, honestly. It's the tweaking that often gives other flagships advantages like better battery life. I want that if we're paying this premium.

Stevie_Wonder

Nothing, but you know.. marketing. People talking about the 7.1 preview means people talking about Pixels.

Pedro Yarid

As long as they fix the Android OS/System battery drain, I'm a happy man.

David

Yeah this battery drain is no joke. It needs to get fixed soon!

Aloys Garnier de Kermerc’hou

After I RMA'd, battery life has been very good for me. Consistent ~4h SOT over a day of use.

That is with BT always on (android wear), mix of wifi/LTE, some notorious battery hogs (Facebook, Good for Enterprise), location on, etc...

David

Are you still able to get a phone RMA'd? And if so how long was the process? I don't like that I have my phone in my pocket or on my desk and battery is just dropping.

Aloys Garnier de Kermerc’hou

As long as you bought it less than a year ago, it's very straightforward. You call Google, you tell them your battery is shit, that you did a factory reset without success already. They should offer the RMA. You receive the refurb within 2-3 days, set it up, send your old phone back, done.

Not a minute without phone.

neo905

Since the October patch I haven't had this problem.

Pedro Yarid

I saw the some fortunate ones got it fixed.
I'm not one of them - tried everything and it's still draining like crazy

Sir_Brizz

Did you try a factory reset and set up as a new device?

Pedro Yarid

I did, didn't work :(

Sir_Brizz

Bummer. That seems to have mostly fixed mine. Are you having the problem where it shuts off before it reaches 1%? Lots of people have been getting RMAs for that.

Pedro Yarid

Not really.
The phone itself seems fine, but my SOT went from 4h30 to 3h30 tops, with worse stand-by time too.

No RMA for me anyway, since there isn't Nexus 6P officially in Brazil.
Thanks for the help anyway brother

Sir_Brizz

I'm sorry, man! I wish I could get those SOT values. I am lucky to get 3 hrs SOT. But a big problem I've noticed compared to others with the 6P is my carrier. AT&T battery just seems to get eaten for lunch for some reason. Probably bad coverage around where I live.

SE.Quence

sorry, I cant believe
Could you attach your battery stats screenshot? I haven't seen no one without Android System process being NOT on first 3 lines.

papernick

Android System is on the second line for me every single day, but I still get at least 4 hours of screen on time and can make it through a 8am to 10pm day with no issues.

SE.Quence

+++
same story

Still losing a lot juice at Android System/OS processes and Cell standby is always present in stats unlike 6.0.1

James Maccioli

Who wants to guess "later this month" is the day of the official pixel release date? So next Thursday..

JSo

I thought the release date for the Pixels was already confirmed to be Oct. 20th

Fadakar

Yeah... Next Thursday...

Alfredo Alvarado

too bad I got robbed with a gun and they took my nexus 6p u.u

vyktorjonas

wat

Alfredo Alvarado

yeah, and It happened in front of my door. I just moved to Vegas it was my welcome to the city.

Max Johnson

I'm sorry for your loss. I hear more about people getting iPhone robbed than Nexus.

Alfredo Alvarado

They were not looking for anything in specific they just wanted everything I had with me.
I loved that phone.

Sir_Brizz

No theft insurance?

Alfredo Alvarado

No, I never needed one. I always leave my phone almost brand new, so I never felt the need for insurance of any kind. Now I do.

Sir_Brizz

When I lived in an apartment I got a renter's insurance plan from some company and they covered theft with a deductible.

Alfredo Alvarado

I didn't know that existed, I'll look into that thanks for the info.

Sir_Brizz

Sorry anyway, dude. That sucks so bad.

Disqusman

Oh wow. Really sorry to hear :( Hope you were not hurt in any way.

Indianajonze

i don't get why there needs to be a dev preview at all. is 7.0 to 7.1 that major of an upgrade when there's already a production phone running it?

Hao many people use developer previews? Very very few! That gives Google chance to sell a few pixel devices! (by being only one with 7.1)

Not necessarily a bad thing

exquisitemb

I'm sure people would throw a temper tantrum if there wasn't one... Then again, I'm sure there will be temper tantrums because there is one too

person

It's a dev preview. It's for developers to use to preview and updates their app for new features before the general public will see them. And as seen in the article, there are several new features for devs to consider.

Boolean Corporation

The only thing I care about 7.1 is faster touch response that was announced at the changelog.

Nope.jpeg

And supposedly fast camera?

Grey

Features I'd like to see:

Download notification to include a "delete" and "rename" drop down.
Download longpress to be the new right-click style and not rely on the overflow button on the top right.

I have cooled down since the GA Exclusivity apeshit fit I threw at my screen when Pixel launched. A delay of two months sounds like a genuine quick-test window rather than a cash-grab. Also affirms that Pixel is not Nexus and will be the priority device for Google from now onwards (which is.... whatever. Fine).

This makes me question - will Developer previews still be a thing with the Pixel phones? Nexus phones were targeted at the developer crowd when they started out, and the Dev Preview program made sense there. Dev previews for the oh-so-shiny-we-will-poach-the-iphone-crowd Pixels doesn't make as much sense.

Considering the iPhone has a beta program too, I don't think that's an aspect of it. I'm pretty sure they'll have it, but since it is a nice, clean, simple opt-in program as started with Lollipop, I think it'll be easy to differentiate and make it clear. It might not be actively labeled as Dev Preview anymore, or they might break it out more, but since they won't have Nexus phones anymore for developers anyway, I'm not sure what else they would do.

Developers preview came before lollipop and marshmallow but this year it was smartly renamed to Android Beta Program!
With L and M developers preview only way to roll in was to flash factory images, which was more of a developers thing
But in Android Bata Program you get OTA!
That's fits in Pixel non developer crowd!

So developers preview would still be a thing but under a different name

HebeGuess

"We’ll also include a launcher and apps that support app shortcuts, and a keyboard and apps that support keyboard images." - excerpt from the blogpost. 'A launcher' sounds kind of vague, I get it is NOT Pixel Launcher.

Presumably the Google Now Launcher's getting updated to support these functions, and the Dev Preview's getting its own special version of it before it goes general release.

WilliamTell13

Well, this was unexpected. Big change from them saying the 7.1 Developer Preview would be out in December and final 7.1 sometime early 2017. Can't wait to try 7.1 on my 5X later this month!

JSo

Other than from people in the comment sections, I never read anywhere where Google said that in the first place.

Sir_Brizz

They said "by the end of the year". But, again, this is the problem with Google not having great communication and not having a consistent message. Did they not expect these questions? They probably didn't even care to think of what questions they could expect.

JDC

"But the Pixel still got it first wahhhhh" ;D

rmkilc

I don't understand the circle icons. I'm not excited for a mix of round icons and proper icons with a unique silhouette.

Wikiwix

The idea of this API is to have for EVERY app (at some point) a round AND a unique icon version.
I actually think this is about the best approach possible since it, if adopted by the developers, allows uniformity and unique icons and the user gets to choose. If circle was the right choice for the uniform shape is a completely different story...

rmkilc

"if adopted by the developers" is the key phrase there.

Wikiwix

The indie developers will implement it. And I guess at least some mayor players will over time. Let us hope someone makes an icon pack only changing the non round ones and launchers give us an option to apply only those that miss a round icon (obviously Pixel launcher will not implement this...)

Andrew Wang

There's a pixie icon pack that converts nicely. I use it with Nova

F4LL0U7

That sort of sounds like circular icons won't be mandatory. Anyone else take it that way?

SomeGuy112

Some good news for Nexus devices are people still find something to cry about. Guess it's true what they say about enthusiasts of every kind, they are some of the most whiny people on earth.

"How dare Google give priority to their brand new flagship thats trying to gain market share with mainstream consumers, us Nexus users have to wait a couple weeks for a 7.1 preview and less than 2 months for the final version, it's unfair and causes pain in my knees"

So the final release will be delayed by at least a month, if not more. Sad how the Nexus users are now second class citizens to Google

Gaurav Chandiramani

"APIs to support multi-endpoint calling"
Can someone please explain what this means?
Does this (I hope) mean that calling apps can be integrated with the dialer app call log (similar to what iOS 10 has?)

Equivoke

No, I think this feature lets you answer a phone call on multiple devices if they are in the same WiFi network, for example, or paired via Bluetooth.